Overall mortality in 2025 has plunged to the lowest level on record, and 2% below 2024.
However, men aged 45-64 continue to die at higher rates than pre-pandemic levels.
This according to the Continuous Mortality Investigation (CMI), which publishes mortality analysis for England & Wales through its mortality monitors.
Its annual update to the CMI Mortality Projections Model, CMI_2025 produced cohort life expectancies at age 65 that are about eight weeks higher for males and about six weeks higher for females than in the previous version of the CMI model, CMI_2024.
The CMI made significant changes to the method for CMI_2024 but has retained the same method for CMI_2025 apart from calibrating it to more recent mortality data.
The increase in life expectancy between CMI_2024 and CMI_2025 reflected low mortality in 2025.
Standardised mortality rates in England & Wales have fallen each year since 2020, with all-age mortality in 2025 the lowest on record, and mortality to date in 2026 reaching a new low for the time of year.
While mortality trends have varied by age and sex, mortality in 2025 reached record lows at pensioner ages, mortality for males aged 45-64 remained above the 2015-2019 average.
Cobus Daneel, chairman at CMI Mortality Projections Committee, (pictured), said: “After a turbulent period for mortality during the pandemic, we have seen a return to more normal conditions.
“A fall in mortality in 2025 has led to a further increase in projected life expectancy.
“But while recent mortality has set new record lows, the outlook for mortality remains uncertain. We encourage users of our model to consider adjusting the model’s parameters to reflect their own portfolios and views on future mortality.”
